


Never too far away

by Notoyax17



Series: The Write Everyday (you can do it!!) Challenge [1]
Category: DC Animated Universe, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Post-Episode: s02e11-12 A Better World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 05:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12336372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notoyax17/pseuds/Notoyax17
Summary: Justice Lord Batman isn't quite ready to lose Wally again.10/11/17





	Never too far away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ryuugan80](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuugan80/gifts).



> So, I just rewatched "A Better World" from the Justice League and...my heart, guys. 
> 
> For those that haven't watched it, here's the basic summary: There's a parallel universe where, at some point, Wally has died. Wally was apparently acting as the team's conscious so, when Lex Luthor pushes Superman too far (threatening to start a world war with a nuke if he isn't let go, knowing the only way for Superman to actually stop him is to kill him and saying Clark's unwillingness to do just that makes him complicit in ALL of Lex's crimes), there was no one there to stop him from killing Lex or lobotomizing criminals to make them good and turning the world/USA into a police state. They call themselves the Justice Lords.
> 
> Lord Batman somehow makes a device that allows him to view and travel to other dimensions and they see the normal JL world where Lex is still doing Lex stuff. They decide to "help" the Justice League by taking over that world as well to bring peace but have to lock up all of the normal justice league to do so. Regular Batman can't figure out a way out because Lord Batman knows what he'd do. Wally speeds up his heartbeat to the point where the monitors pick it up as him flat-lining and Lord Batman freaks RIGHT THE FUCK OUT, immediately releasing Wally from his locks so that he can try to help him, only to get punched out. 
> 
> Stuff happens and Lord Batman ends up helping the regular crew stop his teammates and get back home.
> 
> This fic now has a Polish translation: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12900360

“You don’t... have to go.”

 

Wally paused where he was, half a step away from the portal that would take him back to his own dimension. He glanced over his shoulder and then turned around fully to face the Justice Lord’s version of Batman. 

 

While neither Batman’s face nor his voice currently betrayed whatever emotion he was feeling, Wally  _ remembered _ the way his voice had sounded before. He remembered the sheer  _ panic _ , the fear, the  _ despair _ he’d heard in Batman’s voice when Wally had sped up his heartbeat so fast that the monitors had registered him as dead.

 

And now he was leaving.

 

Wally’s expression softened and he found himself standing before the Dark Knight in a flash. Up close, Wally could see the slight clench of Batman’s jaw as if to keep himself from saying anything more. As if to keep himself from asking again. From pleading.

 

They both knew he had to go, after all.

 

Wally wrapped the man up in a firm hug that had Batman’s fingers twitching in barely contained surprise. And then he waited.

 

And waited.

 

When a full thirty seconds passed without his embrace being returned, Wally grumbled wordlessly into his shoulder. “I’m not letting go until you hug me back, B,” he said.

 

“You say that like it’s an incentive.”

 

Wally couldn’t help the soft snort that escaped at that. “The sooner you hug me, the sooner you can figure out how to manage dimension-hopping to visit me every couple weeks without your former buddies finding out.”

 

Batman leaned back from him, not enough to pull out of the hug but enough to look him in the eye. “Are you serious?” he asked, a deep frown marring his features.

 

Wally blinked down at him under the mask. “Well, yeah? I mean, I probably shouldn’t spend too much time over here, what with me being dead here and all. And besides, you don’t need to work or anything over in my dimension, so we can just hang out! We could go bowling or play some mini-golf or catch the next Marvel movie when it comes out!” Wally paused then, suddenly feeling self-conscious and a little sheepish. “I mean...if that’s okay with you?” he offered.

 

Batman stared at him wide eyed for a moment before looking away. He finally wrapped his arms around Wally and sighed softly. “Anything you want,” he murmured. 

 

A bright grin burst out over Wally’s face, too pleased to even pretend to play it cool. He squeezed Batman just once more before slowly pulling away. 

 

“So...I’ll see you, right?” Wally asked.

 

“Yes.” Back to feigned impassiveness, it looked like.

 

Wally backed away slowly until he was almost at the portal again. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, okay?”

 

That earned him a small smile. “I won’t,” Batman promised gently.

 

And then, with a wave, he was gone.

 

\----xxx----

 

Wally yawned widely and stretched his arms high above his head and then backwards, trying to work out the couple of kinks in his back. At least it was Friday. Assuming no banks were robbed anytime soon, he’d have a day or two to just  _ relax _ .

 

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.”

 

Wally looked up to see a well dressed man leaning against the lab’s second entrance. A well dressed man that was a dead ringer for Bruce Wayne. Who was currently in Metropolis for the grand opening of a new acquisition. A dead ringer that was looking more and more uncertain, subtle that it was, the longer that Wally stared.

 

Wally smiled then, wide and warm, and for Bruce it was like watching the sun come out. His shoulders relaxed a touch in relief. 

 

“Maybe just a little,” Wally said, offering Bruce his arm. “Fortunately, I’m super forgiving.”

 

There was a pause but Bruce eventually took his arm. And if Bruce found himself leaning into the touch more than he might have allowed himself to in uniform, well, that was just to keep up appearances.

 

“Then it’s my lucky day.”


End file.
